De rerum: an acknowlegement and explanation.
INDEX: Linnaean

Monday, March 14, 2011

Lachnocnema sp.


So aptly named: unmistakably the Woolly Legs, probably the Common. I came across this tiny butterfly at Bisley, clutching onto a grass stalk. It is my only record, possibly I have missed many on account of their samll size. I was lucky enough to catch the lighting on the silvery scales. Interestingly the larvae are carnivorous,  feeding on plant lice. I'm not sure why Fabricius (1793) gave it the specific name "bibulus" (the drinker); did he know that the adults do feed on the honeydew of the plant lice?

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